[iD.068] DUBSALON – DURBAN CHAMBER LP

English: An echo is … an echo is … an echo. And sometimes it’s something like a musical instrument. It might be rhythmic, it might vary in pitch, and – put to smart use – it might add patterns, beats, even harmonies or the odd psychedelic moment to a track. Ever since Lee “Scratch” Perry first whacked a garbage pan in the Black Ark studio, dubheads worldwide have known and appreciated these qualities.

Being the echo’s birthplace, the echo-chamber logically is the temple for Dubsalon in which to celebrate his very own dub-ritual with his iD.EOLOGY debut. Following the old ancestor’s motto of “Anything can be dub.”, he remains open to the most different influences and easily avoids being reduced to reggae and roots. Next to some sofa-fit bass and a fair lot of echo-artistry Dubsalon’s multi-dimensional tracks offer enough space for elements from dubstep, funk, electronica, hiphop, downbeat, lounge and jazz. Effortlessly, his varied sound oscillates inbetween pop and psychedelic, inbetween listenability and limitlessness, electric and electronic, inbetween full-on and far-out. With an audible passion for slick production and just the right pinch of live-elements, Dubsalon effectively cooks all of this into an equally relaxing, rousing and reality-bending concentrate of thick, tasty dubby treacle.

Here to speak the prayers is a brother in faith, a high-priest of dub and a true low-frequency connaisseur: Saetchmo. Be it as a resident DJ of the Berlin #tassebier posse around Kreuzberg’s Blogrebellen, be it as the host of his very own weekly Echochamber show: saving bassjunkies like us from cold turkey through extra classy DJing skills is his everyday routine. Saetchmo was kind enough to sprinkle some of his magic over Dubsalon’s tracks, and has mixed them down into half an hour of headnodding, trippy goodness.

So obviously, just like the echo itself, this album comes in and with plenty of different facets. What it really has in common with the echo, though, is another thing: you’ll listen to it again and again … and again … and again.

Pete Cogle:I first heard Dubsalon at ReggaeDubWise and immediately fell in love with his dub. When I heard from Volker, over at Id.EOLOGY that Dubsalon was making and album, and it would come out on the netlabel, I knew that would be something to look forward to.

That time has now come and Id.EOLOGY presents Durban Chamber: an 8-track album featuring some of the best dub you’ll hear coming out of Argentina.

There’s nothing minimal or dubtech going on here. It’s full-phat dub, from a master. As soon as you hear the driving bass of In A Dream, you know you’re going to be “in the zone” for the duration. Shifting Mood, lives up to it’s name by synthesing bleepy electronica, accordion and wobbly bass drops.

There are the typical dubby vocal samples spread through the album, but essentially the album is instrumental. Although staying true to dub throughout, Dubsalon plays with dubstep, downbeat, electronica and jazzy influences. Yes, there’s harmonica, yes there are bleeps and echos, but this is true “magpie music”, and every track brings in a new influence.

There’s a surprising lack of a Latin American feel, considering Dubsalon comes from Argentina. Not to say that it’s missing entirely, just subdued. By the time you get to the last track, From The Sea, there’s a definitely a “watery” vibe going on.

Not content with 8-tracks, the album also contains an additional 7-track mix put together by Saetchmo. He is of course the resident DJ of the Berlin #tassebier posse from Kreuzberg Berlin’s Blogrebellen, with whom I had such a great time when I was last in the city. Not only that, but producer of the weekly Echochamber show, which is a must for all dub-heads.

So, have I said enough? Have you downloaded the album yet and plugged it into your ears? What are you waiting for?